May 5th - A Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls

On May 5th, activists and organizations gathered virtually to commemorate thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women - a group that is also particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking. Sponsored by the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, the date for this day of action was chosen in honor of Hanna Harris, a 21-year-old member of the North Cheyenne tribe, who went missing in 2013. May 5th was Hanna’s birthday. 

Indigenous women and girls are at particular risk to physical and sexual violence. Compared to women in the general population, Native women are nearly 2.5 times more likely to be sexually assaulted and 70% of these incidents are committed by a person of a different race. Over the last two decades, activists have managed to raise awareness of this injustice against Indigenous women. In 2005, this culminated in the inclusion of the “Safety of Indian Women” title within the Violence Against Women Act. Despite this victory, Native American women and girls remain at particular risk of experiencing physical and sexual violence. 

Statistics by the US Justice Department show 46% of Native American women have experienced intimate partner violence through rape, physical abuse or stalking. On some reservations, the murder rate for Native American women is more than ten times the national average. Overall, murder is the third-leading cause of death for Indigenous women and girls aged 10-24. Often, these disappearances or murders are connected to crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking. 

Exposure to violence and abuse at a young age can make Indigenous girls particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking. In a study of 58 Native girls aged 11-21, 31% said they had sustained a serious head injury as a result of being assaulted. This study also concluded traffickers permeated Native communities; 45% of the girls had regular contact with gang members and 31% reported knowing a pimp personally. Sustained contact with traffickers and commercial sex puts Indigenous girls at a higher risk of being trafficked themselves. In Minnesota alone, 345 Native adolescent girls were sex-trafficked between 2004 and 2007, many across state and international lines. Despite this vulnerability, Indigenous girls have been treated as criminals and not victims. In 2009 and 2010, about one-third of women arrested for prostitution in Anchorage were Native, while Native Americans represented only 16% of Alaska’s population.

Through actions on May 5th, activists hoped to bring light to these injustices to stop the cycle of violence. But it is also important to remember that Native women and girls fight against these injustices year-round. Only through collective action can we ensure their voices are heard and their bodies are protected.